Essential
by bittersweetblonde
Summary: To Lucas Scott, most girls are essential in the way of a necessity, but there's always been one on his list who's more than that, she's essential in the highest and she's about to find out who she is! A/U O/S


**Hey guys, just a quick little note to those of you reading 'Seeing Red' I'm sorry I haven't updated it yet, I know I said I would after New Year and it's now almost February, but don't worry, there'll be an add soon. I've been quite busy and sort of lost my way with writing in that time. I've had a go at this little oneshot though just to get me back into the swing of it, so I hope you enjoy and I hope it makes up for you waiting. x **

* * *

**Essential**

"Oh my God, look who's on the news!" My boyfriend Jake shouted through to me from the livingroom.

"Who?" I asked as I came in from the kitchen and looked at the tv. To my surprise it was my friend Lucas and his latest girlfriend! "What are they doing on there?" I asked as I sat down next to him on the couch.

"Just eating at that new mall. The guy on here is running some story about how it's recently opened and they just appeared in the background!" Jake explained with a laugh and I smiled.

We carried on watching them and I couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous. Lucas and I had always been friends, but we liked each other more than that. We'd had the odd snog in the past, but nothing ever came from it, he'd tried to get with me numerous times, but I knew what he was like with girls and that's why I'd always refused his offers. Once I met Jake, I told Lucas that we were better off as friends and he gave me my space, five months of it infact, but lately I've found myself missing him and sitting here seeing how hot he still looked on the tv wasn't helping!

"What time are you heading down there?" I heard Jake suddenly ask and I looked at him confused.

"What?" I questioned.

"What time are you meeting the girls?" He replied and I looked at the time.

"Oh in about an hour." I answered. Brooke, Haley and I were meeting Bevin in the new mall for a hair appointment. Bevin was marrying Skills next weekend and this was one of the last few things on her very long bridal to do list.

"Ok, do you need a lift?" Jake asked and I shook my head.

"No it's ok, I'll take the Comet. Thanks though." I told him and he just smiled. "So what are your plans for this afternoon?" I asked.

"Well I was going to watch sports, but I think I'll keep it on the news now incase I see my sexy girlfriend on the tv!" He replied and then pulled me closer and kissed me.

I laughed as we pulled away, but felt myself frown as I looked back at the tv and saw Lucas being a gentleman to his girlfriend and feeding her some of his food.

"I should go and get ready." I said, standing up from the couch.

"Shall I give you a shout if they get interviewed?" Jake asked and I just shook my head, telling him I'd be too busy to come down.

* * *

It didn't take me long to get ready and get to the mall and I must have been early as none of the others had showed up. I stood outside the salon for about 10 minutes when my phone went off.

_'Running a bit late, we had a cold feet crisis with Bevin, should only be another hour, sorry. Brooke xx'_

I read it and then sighed to myself. Running late I could deal with, but an hour?! What was I meant to do with myself?

_'No worries, I'll grab a coffee & have a look around, maybe find you some bargains lol! xx'_

I replied back and decided to do just that.

As I walked to the nearest coffee shop though, the thing that I'd been dreading the most happened. I bumped into Lucas and his girlfriend.

"Peyt, long time no see!" Lucas said, giving me a hug.

"Hi, yeah it's been a while!" I replied as I pulled away and then smiled at the girl stood next to him, who looked confused.

"Oh right, yeah Lindsey this is Peyton an old friend and Peyton this is Lindsey, my girlfriend." He said, introducing us.

"It's nice to meet you." She told me with a smile.

"You too." I replied.

"So what are you doing here?" Lucas asked.

"I was meant to be meeting the girls for a hair appointment, but they're running late so I'm just going to grab a coffee and stuff until they arrive." I explained.

"Want some company?" He asked "It's been ages since we saw each other and it would be good to catch up here rather than at the wedding next weekend." He added and I looked at Lindsey who smiled that perfect smile again.

"I don't mind, I could do with a woman's taste in some of these shops." She said with a laugh and I just nodded.

"Ok then." I agreed.

* * *

We'd been going around the shops for a little while, Lucas and I catching up on the last five months of each others lives and me getting to know Lindsey a little better and it was actually nice and not as bad as I thought it'd be...that was until Luke went off to pay for something and Lindsey and I were left alone.

"He's got quite a nasty side to him sometimes hasn't he?" She suddenly said and I looked at her confused and surprised!

"What Lucas?" I asked and she nodded. "How do you mean?" I added.

"The way he looks at other women, the way he flirts with them..." She explained and suddenly I got what she was meaning.

"Oh...yeah. He's always been like that though. I mean me and him have never been more than friends, but when we used to hang out together, he'd be eyeing up girls and stuff. He was never single for long." I told her and then regretted doing so when her perfect smile got replaced with a depressing frown.

"Lately, he's been acting differently with me. When we first got together it was like I was the only girl in the world, but now I see him eyeing up others and he's become distant too...it's like ever since we had sex, he's changed?" She admitted.

"Listen are you sure you're not just being paranoid? Me and my boyfriend saw you both on the local news at lunch and Lucas seemed to be paying you a lot of attention." I said and she shook her head and gave a slight laugh.

"He saw the camera as we sat down, he was acting the gentlemen. Probably wanting the girls of Tree Hill to see him like that and rush to go out with him." She told me and I sighed. If that's what he had been doing, then it certainly worked with me.

The man himself then came back over with his purchase and we carried on shopping. I hadn't noticed it until Lindsey had said, but I saw how he'd roll his eyes when she suggested going to a certain shop or even when she was just making general chit chat. I also noticed how he'd sneak the odd look at me and smile...

"Another bag for you babe." Lindsey said as we walked out of the shop we'd just been in and Lucas sighed, he already had his hands full with all of her other bags!

I wasn't sure if she was doing that as payback for what she'd told me about him or if she was generally like this? Thankfully I only had another half an hour to be left feeling confused by the both of them before I met up with the girls.

* * *

We decided to sit down for a bit a little while later, I think Lucas needed to before his arms fell off! "I bet Jake doesn't have this problem with you eh Peyt?" He suddenly said and I saw Lindsey shoot him an evil glare and I didn't reply, I didn't want to get involved in their domestic.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lindsey asked and Lucas just gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Oh come on! Making me carry all these bags around! I don't mind offering or helping you out with half, but just dumping them on me and expecting me to?! You're so high maintenance too and you're too clingy! You stick to me all the time, you don't give me any space. I can't even remember the last time I saw my friends!" He ranted and I just sat there feeling so uncomfortable.

"Because I don't trust you! It's bad enough seeing you eye up women when we're out together, there's no way I'd let you go on a boys night out alone!" She told him.

"Why do you think I eye them up?! I'm trying to get away from you! " He snapped.

"See Peyton, this was what I was talking about." Lindsey said, suddenly bringing me into it again.

"You know what, you're both as bad as each other!" I told them as I stood up, much to their shock. "Lucas, if you wanted to end things, you should have just told her, it's blunt, but it's better than going about it the way you've been and Lindsey, I'm sorry, but he goes for girls like you all the time." I said and she looked confused.

"Girls like me? What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"You gave him what he wanted and when you realised his behaviour had changed, you clung to him. You're his easy type." I told her and she let out a gasp. For a second, I actually thought she was going to slap me, but much to my surprise, she started crying?!

"When did you become so Brooke?" Lucas asked me and I only now realised how bitchy I'd sounded. I had basically called this girl a slut! Suddenly feeling guilty, I ignored Luke and looked at Lindsey.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." I apologised and Lindsey looked at me. "You see these roots, that's my natural colour, the rest I dye blonde because I'm stupid and say things like that without thinking." I told her and she just shook her head.

"No it's ok, part of what you said was true and it just hit a nerve, that's why I'm upset." She explained and then looked at Lucas.

"I guess we're done then?" She said and he just nodded.

"Sorry and sorry for treating you the way I have. I hope you find someone out there better than me." He told her and she just wiped the last of her tears away and laughed.

"Shouldn't be hard." She said and then looked at me. "It was nice meeting you Peyton." She added and then went walking off.

I let out a sigh as I sat down and then looked at Luke who got his phone out. "Oh please!" I scoffed and he looked at me.

"What?" He asked.

"You're not planning on hooking yourself up with another girl foolish enough to fall for you are you?" I asked and he just laughed.

"Hey, this phone is full of essential girls' numbers, I'm just deleting Lindsey from the list." He replied and I shook my head.

"Give it here." I said as I held my hand out.

"What? Why?" He asked.

"I've got 10 minutes before I'm meant to be meeting the girls which means 10 minutes to sort your life out for you! Now let me start by deleting your essential list. We're not teenagers any more Luke, it's time for you to grow up and man up." I told him and then snatched the phone out of his hands before he could refuse.

As I looked through it though, I got a shock. Everyone's names were in there, but so were the categories he'd listed them in and there was only one left in his 'essential' list.

_Anna - Friend_

_Andy - Family_

_Bevin - Friend_

_Brooke - Friend_

_Chris - Dick_

_Deb - Family_

_Fergie - Bro_

_Hales - Best Friend_

_Junk - Bro_

_Mouth - Bro_

_Mum - Family_

_Nathan - Family_

**_Peyton - Essential_**

_Rachel - Friend_

_Skills - Bro_

_Tim - Dim_

_Whitey - Legend_

I handed his phone back to him and he looked at me with a sheepish smile. "I don't know if I should be honoured or offended?" I told him and he looked at me confused.

"Why would you be offended?" He asked and I looked at him like he was crazy!

"I'm the last girl in your list! That's like being the last girl in the world! Jeez Luke if you want to make a girl feel special, that's not the way to do it!" I exclaimed.

"Hey, you've never been the last girl, you were the first one I put on that list!" He told me and I just shook my head in disbelief!

"Oh well that makes me feel a whole lot better!" I replied sarcastically and probably a little over the top. "I don't even know why I'm making a big deal of this? You're essential girls are usually the ones you sleep with, get bored of and then never see or speak to again! You might aswell just delete me from your phone now like you did with Lindsey." I said and then got up to meet my girls, but he grabbed my arm stopping me.

"You don't get it do you?" He said, looking into my eyes.

"Get what? That you're a man whore who wants me as his last resort?" I asked and he just shook his head.

"No, that I'm in love with you! That I've been in love for you for what feels like forever!" He yelled and I just stood there, not quite believing what I was hearing.

"In love with me?! Lucas don't be so ridiculous!" I said, only now seeing that we had an audience and more than just the people in the mall, that camera was back again!

"Peyton, I love you ok and I tried to get with you more times than I can count, but you always said no..."

"Because I knew what you were like with women Luke! You just used them. God you changed girlfriends like you changed your pants at one point! I wasn't going to be another..."

"You would never have been!" He said stopping me mid sentence. "You're different, you're not high maintenance, you're not a bimbo, you're not easy...you're everything they're not. And the only reason I ignored you these last five months was because you met Jake and you told me you needed space." He explained, his hands suddenly finding my shoulders.

"If you loved me so much then why get with Lindsey?" I found myself asking.

"Because I knew you'd never want me, I knew nothing would ever happen with us, you'd made it clear." He replied. "So I just carried on being a 'man whore' in the hope that maybe I could find someone, but who was I trying to kid, none of them match up to you!" He added and I just looked at him, I'd never seen him so serious before.

"Luke, I have Jake...I'm still with Jake." I told him, although right now I was starting to question my own relationship.

He nodded. "I know. I may not have spoken to you in five months, but we do have the same friends." He told me and I just sighed. He'd obviously been asking them about me.

"Look I've got to go and meet the girls Luke, I'm late enough as it is." I told him, but instead of answering, he pulled me flush to his toned body and kissed me like I'd never been kissed before!

"Go." He said once we pulled away and I opened my eyes to see him looking straight back into mine. "We'll talk next weekend at the wedding." He added and I just nodded before shakily heading towards the salon, wondering what the hell had just happened?!

* * *

A week had gone by and it had been hell. Jake had kept the news on last weekend and saw the whole confession of love that Luke had given me and we'd been fighting ever since. He said he noticed the way I was looking at Lucas on the tv before I'd left and how he'd seen the jealousy and the frown that I'd let slip. He asked me if I loved Lucas back and I couldn't give a yes or a no. He asked me if I loved him and I couldn't answer that either! Everything was such a mess!

We arrived at Bevin and Skills' ceremony and we weren't even talking! The journey there had been made in silence and we'd agreed not to talk to each other while we were there incase we caused a scene!

It wasn't until we got to the reception that I decided what I had to do and what was for the best. My heart and head were divided, but my Mom had always told me to follow my heart and that was the advice I was going to follow, especially after hearing the wedding speeches and vows today.

"Jake, can I talk to you please? Civilly and outside?" I asked and he just looked at me for a few seconds before nodding.

"What?" He asked when we got to a quiet spot.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking, especially today and what we have...well it's been great and..."

"'It's'? As in the past tense?" He asked and then he shook his head and just laughed. "You're ending it aren't you? You're going to go with that womanizer!" He added and I just sighed.

"It's not been easy ok and you're a really great guy, but you're not him. I'm sorry." I said.

"Yeah you will be when he cheats on you and I'm glad that I'm not him, I respect women." He told me, making me question my head again. "I hope you're happy together and if things turn out how we all expect them to, don't come running to me." He added and then walked off towards his car.

I stood there for a little while just thinking things over when I heard a voice behind me. I turned around to see Lucas.

"Hey, are you ok?" He asked as I felt a tear trickle down my face and I just shook my head before he pulled me into his arms.

"I just ended things with Jake." I said and he pulled away and then caught another tear with his thumb.

"Peyton, I'm sorry. This is all my fault." He said and I shook my head.

"No, it's mine too." I sighed and then looked at him. "All I've been thinking about this week is you, infact you've always been in my mind if I'm honest, I just pushed you to the back of it, but that kiss...God that kiss, I haven't been able to forget it and I shouldn't have felt like that when I had a boyfriend. My head's been telling me to stay with Jake, Jake's the safe option, but my heart...my heart wants you and Jake knew it too deep down." I admitted and Lucas smiled at me.

"I love you Peyton, I'll never hurt you or cheat on you, it may sound hard to believe, but I promise you." He said, looking into my eyes and the way he said it so seriously and determined, I knew he was telling the truth.

"I love you too and I trust you." I told him before pulling him by his shirt collar and kissing him like he'd kissed me last weekend.

Someone clearing their throat made us break apart and I just smiled as I saw Brooke standing there. "Sorry to ruin the moment guys, but Bevin's about to throw her bouquet and she wants all the girls inside to catch it, single or otherwise." She told us and I just nodded. "Oh and Broody, hurt my hoe here and I'll come down on your ass like a ton of bricks." She said to Luke who just laughed and pulled me closer to him.

"You've got nothing to worry about there Brooke, I wouldn't dream of it." He said and then kissed the top of my head as we walked back into the reception…neither of us realising that we'd be attending our own one in a years time.


End file.
